Rescuers at work amid the rubble after a highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy. A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa on Tuesday. Several people have died, rescue sources said. Several vehicles were crushed under the rubble with dead people inside, the sources said.(Photo: EPA-EFE)

A huge stretch of a highway bridge collapsed during a sudden storm in northwestern Italy on Tuesday, crushing vehicles and sending others plunging hundreds of feet. Authorities said at least 22 people were killed, Italy's Ansa news agency reported.

The section of the Morandi bridge in the port city of Genoa collapsed amid torrential rain, Ansa reported. It said that some trucks ended up in the Polvecera river.

An eyewitness told Ansa the bridge was struck by lightning.

"It was just after 11:30 when we saw the lighting bolt hit the bridge and we saw the bridge go down," said the man, named only as Pietro M.

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A firefighter looks up at the partially collapsed Morandi highway bridge, in between buildings, in Genoa, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. The death toll from the collapse of a highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa that is already confirmed to have claimed 39 lives will certainly rise, a senior official said. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters: "Unfortunately, the toll will increase, that's inevitable." Searchers continued to comb through tons of jagged steel, concrete and dozens of vehicles that plunged as much as 150 feet into a dry river bed on Aug.14. AP

Residents are helped by firefighters as they get their belongings from their evacuated homes in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 16, 2018. Italian authorities, worried about the stability of remaining large sections of the partially collapsed Morandi bridge, evacuated about 630 people from nearby apartments. AP

At least 38 people were killed on Aug. 14, 2018 when the giant motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa in northwestern Italy. The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further. Recovery operations continued on Aug. 15. The incident has raised questions about the safety of Italy's aging infrastructure. LUCA ZENNARO, EPA-EFE

Some of the more than 500 evacuated residents from a dozen apartment buildings located under the severed ends of the Morandi motorway bridge, listen to a rescue official in Genoa on August 15, 2018, as they wait to get into their homes to collect their belongings amid fears that more debris could fall ANDREA LEONI, AFP/Getty Images

People living in the buildings in the area have been evacuated following the collapse of a section of the Morandi bridge because there is a risk the other parts of the bridge could fall. LUCA ZENNARO, EPA-EFE

Evacuated residents are seen the collapsed Morandi bridge on Aug. 15, 2018. Many local residents had said the bridge, built in 1967, needed shoring up. Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said the private operator of the bridge must pay toward its reconstruction. EPA-EFE

Cars are blocked on the Morandi highway bridge after a section of it collapsed, in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 14, 2018. A large section of the bridge collapsed over an industrial area in the Italian city of Genova during a sudden and violent storm, leaving vehicles crushed in rubble below Antonio Calanni, AP

A large section of the Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Italy collapsed over an industrial area during a sudden and violent storm, leaving vehicles crushed in rubble below on Aug. 14, 2018. Luca Zennaro, ANSA via AP

Italian authorities say that about 10 vehicles were involved when the raised highway collapsed while private broadcaster Sky TG24 said the collapsed section was about 650 feet long. LUCA ZENNARO, EPA-EFE

Firefighter Amalia Tedeschi told state broadcaster RAI that 20 vehicles were involved in the collapse. At least four people were pulled out of the rubble alive and have been taken to the hospital, Ansa reported.

Private broadcaster Sky TG24 reported that the 200-meter (660-foot) section fell over an industrial zone. Firefighters told The Associated Press there are concerns about gas lines.

Video captured the sound of a man screaming: "Oh god, oh, god." Other images showed a green truck that had stopped on the bridge yards short of a gaping hole.

The 330-foot tall bridge was built in the 1960s, the BBC reported. It runs over homes, shopping centers, factories, a railway line and a river, according to Ansa.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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A witness to the collapse captured the aftermath when a heavy stretch of highway collapsed during a sudden storm in northwestern Italy. Police say about 10 vehicles were involved.
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